241 research outputs found
Familiarization: A theory of repetition suppression predicts interference between overlapping cortical representations
Repetition suppression refers to a reduction in the cortical response to a novel stimulus that
results from repeated presentation of the stimulus. We demonstrate repetition suppression
in a well established computational model of cortical plasticity, according to which the relative
strengths of lateral inhibitory interactions are modified by Hebbian learning. We present
the model as an extension to the traditional account of repetition suppression offered by
sharpening theory, which emphasises the contribution of afferent plasticity, by instead
attributing the effect primarily to plasticity of intra-cortical circuitry. In support, repetition suppression
is shown to emerge in simulations with plasticity enabled only in intra-cortical connections.
We show in simulation how an extended ‘inhibitory sharpening theory’ can explain
the disruption of repetition suppression reported in studies that include an intermediate
phase of exposure to additional novel stimuli composed of features similar to those of the
original stimulus. The model suggests a re-interpretation of repetition suppression as a manifestation
of the process by which an initially distributed representation of a novel object
becomes a more localist representation. Thus, inhibitory sharpening may constitute a more
general process by which representation emerges from cortical re-organisation
Search for the Higgs boson in events with missing transverse energy and b quark jets produced in proton-antiproton collisions at s**(1/2)=1.96 TeV
We search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with an
electroweak vector boson in events with no identified charged leptons, large
imbalance in transverse momentum, and two jets where at least one contains a
secondary vertex consistent with the decay of b hadrons. We use ~1 fb-1
integrated luminosity of proton-antiproton collisions at s**(1/2)=1.96 TeV
recorded by the CDF II experiment at the Tevatron. We find 268 (16) single
(double) b-tagged candidate events, where 248 +/- 43 (14.4 +/- 2.7) are
expected from standard model background processes. We place 95% confidence
level upper limits on the Higgs boson production cross section for several
Higgs boson masses ranging from 110 GeV/c2 to 140 GeV/c2. For a mass of 115
GeV/c2 the observed (expected) limit is 20.4 (14.2) times the standard model
prediction.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Measurement of Ratios of Fragmentation Fractions for Bottom Hadrons in p-pbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
This paper describes the first measurement of b-quark fragmentation fractions
into bottom hadrons in Run II of the Tevatron Collider at Fermilab. The result
is based on a 360 pb-1 sample of data collected with the CDF II detector in
p-pbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. Semileptonic decays of B0, B+, and B_s
mesons, as well as Lambda_b baryons, are reconstructed. For an effective bottom
hadron p_T threshold of 7 GeV/c, the fragmentation fractions are measured to be
f_u/f_d=1.054 +/- 0.018 (stat) +0.025-0.045(sys) +/- 0.058 (Br),
f_s/(f_u+f_d)=0.160 +/- 0.005 (stat) +0.011-0.010 (sys) +0.057-0.034 (Br), and
f_{Lambda_b}/(f_u+f_d)=0.281\pm0.012 (stat) +0.058-0.056 (sys) +0.128-0.086
(Br), where the uncertainty (Br) is due to uncertainties on measured branching
ratios. The value of f_s/(f_u+f_d) agrees within one standard deviation with
previous CDF measurements and the world average of this quantity, which is
dominated by LEP measurements. However, the ratio f_{Lambda_b}/(f_u+f_d) is
approximately twice the value previously measured at LEP. The approximately 2
sigma discrepancy is examined in terms of kinematic differences between the two
production environments.Comment: Submitted to PRD, 54 pages, 53 plot
Interplay of DNA supercoiling and catenation during the segregation of sister duplexes
The discrete regulation of supercoiling, catenation and knotting by DNA topoisomerases is well documented both in vivo and in vitro, but the interplay between them is still poorly understood. Here we studied DNA catenanes of bacterial plasmids arising as a result of DNA replication in Escherichia coli cells whose topoisomerase IV activity was inhibited. We combined high-resolution two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis with numerical simulations in order to better understand the relationship between the negative supercoiling of DNA generated by DNA gyrase and the DNA interlinking resulting from replication of circular DNA molecules. We showed that in those replication intermediates formed in vivo, catenation and negative supercoiling compete with each other. In interlinked molecules with high catenation numbers negative supercoiling is greatly limited. However, when interlinking decreases, as required for the segregation of newly replicated sister duplexes, their negative supercoiling increases. This observation indicates that negative supercoiling plays an active role during progressive decatenation of newly replicated DNA molecules in vivo
Measurement of Lifetime and Decay-Width Difference in B0s -> J/psi phi Decays
We measure the mean lifetime, tau=2/(Gamma_L+Gamma_H), and the width
difference, DeltaGamma=Gamma_L-Gamma_H, of the light and heavy mass eigenstates
of the B0s meson, B0sL and B0sH, in B0s -> J/psi phi decays using 1.7 fb^-1 of
data collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar
collider. Assuming CP conservation, a good approximation for the B0s system in
the Standard Model, we obtain DeltaGamma = 0.076^+0.059_-0.063 (stat.) +- 0.006
(syst.) ps^-1 and tau = 1.52 +- 0.04 (stat.) +- 0.02 (syst.) ps, the most
precise measurements to date. Our constraints on the weak phase and DeltaGamma
are consistent with CP conservation.
Dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and colleague, Michael P. Schmid
Search for Pair Production of Scalar Top Quarks Decaying to a tau Lepton and a b Quark in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We search for pair production of supersymmetric top quarks (~t_1), followed
by R-parity violating decay ~t_1 -> tau b with a branching ratio beta, using
322 pb^-1 of ppbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV collected by the CDF II
detector at Fermilab. Two candidate events pass our final selection criteria,
consistent with the standard model expectation. We set upper limits on the
cross section sigma(~t_1 ~tbar_1)*beta^2 as a function of the stop mass
m(~t_1). Assuming beta=1, we set a 95% confidence level limit m(~t_1)>153
GeV/c^2. The limits are also applicable to the case of a third generation
scalar leptoquark (LQ_3) decaying LQ_3 -> tau b.Comment: 7 pages, 2 eps figure
Two-Particle Momentum Correlations in Jets Produced in ppbar Collisions at s**(1/2) = 1.96-TeV
We present the first measurement of two-particle momentum correlations in
jets produced in collisions at TeV. Results are
obtained for charged particles within a restricted cone with an opening angle
of 0.5 radians around the jet axis and for events with dijet masses between 66
and 563 GeV/c. A comparison of the experimental data to theoretical
predictions obtained for partons within the framework of resummed perturbative
QCD in the next-to-leading log approximation (NLLA) shows that the parton
momentum correlations survive the hadronization stage of jet fragmentation,
giving further support to the hypothesis of local parton-hadron duality. The
extracted value of the NLLA parton shower cutoff scale set
equal to is found to be
MeV.Comment: Submitted to Phys.Rev.
Observation of Orbitally Excited B_s Mesons
We report the first observation of two narrow resonances consistent with
states of orbitally excited (L=1) B_s mesons using 1 fb^{-1} of ppbar
collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV collected with the CDF II detector at the
Fermilab Tevatron. We use two-body decays into K^- and B^+ mesons reconstructed
as B^+ \to J/\psi K^+, J/\psi \to \mu^+ \mu^- or B^+ \to \bar{D}^0 \pi^+,
\bar{D}^0 \to K^+ \pi^-. We deduce the masses of the two states to be m(B_{s1})
= 5829.4 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2 and m(B_{s2}^*) = 5839.7 +- 0.7 MeV/c^2.Comment: Version accepted and published by Phys. Rev. Let
Search for resonant ttbar production in ppbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We report on a search for narrow-width particles decaying to a top and
antitop quark pair. The data set used in the analysis corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of 680 pb^{-1} collected with the Collider Detector at
Fermilab in Run II. We present 95% confidence level upper limits on the cross
section times branching ratio. Assuming a specific topcolor-assisted
technicolor production model, the leptophobic Z' with width
\Gamma_{Z'}=0.012M_{Z'}, we exclude the mass range M_{Z'} < 725 GeV/c^2 at the
95% confidence level.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Forward-Backward Asymmetry in Top Quark Production in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
Reconstructable final state kinematics and charge assignment in the reaction
ppbar->ttbar allows tests of discrete strong interaction symmetries at high
energy. We define frame dependent forward-backward asymmetries for the outgoing
top quark in both the ppbar and ttbar rest frames, correct for experimental
distortions, and derive values at the parton-level. Using 1.9/fb of ppbar
collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV recorded with the CDF II detector at the
Fermilab Tevatron, we measure forward-backward top quark production asymmetries
in the ppbar and ttbar rest frames of A_{FB,pp} = 0.17 +- 0.08 and A_{FB,tt} =
0.24 +- 0.14.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.Lett, corrected references
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